mac3225 Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 This is the final copy and is ready to be placed in my application. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! My decision to become a physician assistant stems from personal interests and experiences that have shaped who I am. As a child, I was fascinated by nature and spent hours watching National Geographic programs or reading books about psychology or equine anatomy. But it was my mother’s breast cancer diagnosis that became the catalyst for my interest in health and medicine. I was eager to learn as much as I could about preventative and alternative medicine in an attempt to avoid the suffering I watched my mother endure. My mother lost her battle with cancer after my sixteenth birthday. It was a time in my life when I had to make important decisions about my future and I felt lost without my mother’s encouragement. In college, I decided to major in Health Information Management because I wanted to work in the healthcare field, but as graduation grew near, I was unhappy with my decision. I enjoyed my anatomy & physiology, pathophysiology, and medical terminology courses and briefly considered persuing a degree in the medical field. However, I was advised to get a job. After graduation, I worked as a Medicare auditor. After seven years, the job was no longer providing continuing education or growth opportunities. Restless and ready for change, I moved to Seattle, Washington with the hopes of following my heart and starting a new life. My new job as a senior healthcare consultant was challenging and provided the opportunity to continuously learn. Each project required hours of research and collaboration with senior leaders in preparation for the execution of the project. I was the lead senior on the project team and considered a subject matter expert. The team traveled to hospitals all over the country and collaborated with management from various clinical departments. During downtime, I participated in the office community service committee. We planned a variety of events to raise money for charity and encourage coworkers to provide service to the community. Turning thirty marked a period of reflection and transition in my life. The stress and pressure of constant travel and deadlines began to take its toll and, once again, I felt unsatisfied with the work I had chosen. It was time to gather up the courage and make the decision to start over. I was determined to find a fulfilling career that fit my personality, skills, and values. My experience in the healthcare field created an even stronger interest in medicine and the need to work with people on a more personal level. This is why I chose to pursue a career as a physician assistant. I want to work directly with patients and provide education on preventative medicine; to make decisions autonomously and in collaboration with physicians and other members of the healthcare team. To gain experience in direct patient care, I shadowed a Dermatology physician assistant, became an Emergency Department volunteer, and work as an OB/GYN nursing assistant. Through my shadowing experience, I saw first hand how the physician assistant works independently with patients and consults the supervising physician when difficult cases or new patients are presented. This experience opened the door to the profession and I am confident that I have made the right decision to pursue this exciting career. Volunteering in the Emergency Department has exposed me to patients from all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. I am responsible for fulfilling a patient’s emotional needs by providing warm blankets and beverages or conversing with a patient who is bored or scared. My role as a nursing assistant allows me to interact directly with patients and provides multiple learning opportunities. It has shown me how collaboration and communication are an essential element of effective patient care, and has exposed me to clinical decision making and the inner workings of modern medicine. Looking back, I can now see how the path I chose was a journey that provided opportunity for personal growth. Ultimately, this journey led to the discovery of a career I am passionate about. A career that fulfills the needs of physicians and the community, as well as my own. One where I can utilize my inherent strengths and acquired skills to diagnose, treat, and educate patients in family practice or women’s health. I enjoy being a nursing assistant and a volunteer, but I am hungry for more. I want to learn the language of medicine and build on the knowledge and experience I have obtained so that I can continue to provide patient care in a compassionate manner. I am confident that my prior experience has prepared me to successfully achieve this goal and hope that I will be granted the opportunity to pursue my dream through acceptance into your program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac3225 Posted September 13, 2011 Author Share Posted September 13, 2011 Please! I would love to get some feedback. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Steve Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 I am not a grammarian (actually surprised I spelled that right on my first try) nor do I have any clue on proper structure and all that jazz. However, when reading your PS my thought was "this person offers a great perspective on a very important, but often glazed over aspect of medical care". Billing, policies, politics, all that stuff that just makes me want to stick my head in the oven but I'd be ecstatic to have you as a resource to say "what is really going on here?" or "can you help me better understand why this billing/insurance/clinic issue is running this way". For what it's worth, assuming your application looks good otherwise (gpa, all the pre reqs done, so on and so forth) I'd want to interview you. Good luck, keep us updated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alleycat Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 okay, only comment I can make is last para, 3rd sentence...I'd drop the physician and keep it just between you and the community. otherwise no grammatical errors popped up in my read. nice job. flows well. good focus on the how and why you target PA. good luck.:smile: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac3225 Posted September 13, 2011 Author Share Posted September 13, 2011 Thank you both for the feedback. My application has been submitted and my fingers are crossed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StudentPA Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 My decision to become a physician assistant stems from personal interests and experiences. As a child, nature fascinated me (Gets rid of I) and spent hours watching National Geographic programs or reading books about psychology or equine anatomy. However, (More of an abrupt break from your previous thought.) it was my mother’s breast cancer diagnosis that became the catalyst for my passion (Passion sounds more powerful than an interest. I have interests in many things. Not all of them are passions.) in health and medicine. I eagerly learned as much as I could about preventative and alternative medicine in an attempt to aleviate the suffering I watched my mother endure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StudentPA Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 My mother lost her battle with cancer after my sixteenth birthday. It was a time in my life when I had to make important decisions about my future and felt lost without my mother’s encouragement. In college, I majored in Health Information Management because of my pasion, but as graduation grew near, I was unhappy with my decision. I enjoyed my anatomy & physiology, pathophysiology, and medical terminology courses and briefly considered pursuing a degree in the medical field. However, I was advised to get a job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StudentPA Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 After graduation, I worked as a Medicare auditor for seven years. The job no longer provided continuing education or growth opportunities. Restless and ready for change, I moved to Seattle, Washington with the hopes of following my heart and starting a new life. My new job as a senior healthcare consultant was challenging and provided a new learning environment. Each project required hours of research and collaboration with senior leaders in preparation for the execution of the project. I was the lead senior on the project team and considered a subject matter expert. The team traveled to hospitals all over the country and collaborated with management from various clinical departments. During downtime, I participated in the office community service committee. We planned a variety of events to raise money for charity and encourage coworkers to provide service to the community. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StudentPA Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Turning thirty marked a period of reflection and transition in my life. The stress and pressure of constant travel and deadlines began to take its toll and, once again, I felt unsatisfied with the work I had chosen. It was time to gather up the courage and make the decision to start over. I was determined to find a fulfilling career that fit my personality, skills, and values. My experience in the healthcare field further ignited my passion in medicine and the need to work with people on a more personal level. This is why I chose to pursue a career as a physician assistant. I desire to work directly with patients and provide education on preventative medicine; to make decisions autonomously and in collaboration with physicians and other members of the healthcare team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StudentPA Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 To gain experience in direct patient care, I shadowed a Dermatology physician assistant (Most schools consider shadowing health care experience and not direct patient care.), became an Emergency Department volunteer, and work as an OB/GYN nursing assistant. Through my shadowing experience, I saw first hand how the physician assistant works independently with patients and consults the supervising physician when difficult cases or new patients are presented. This experience opened the door to the profession and I am confident that I have made the right decision to pursue this exciting career. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StudentPA Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Volunteering in the Emergency Department has exposed me to patients from all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. I am responsible for fulfilling a patient’s emotional needs by providing warm blankets and beverages or conversing with a patient who is bored or scared. My role as a nursing assistant allows me to interact directly with patients and provides multiple learning opportunities. It has taught me how collaboration and communication are an essential element of effective patient care, and exposed me to clinical decision making and the inner workings of modern medicine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StudentPA Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Looking back, I can now see how the path I chose was a journey that provided opportunity for personal growth. Ultimately, this journey led to the discovery of a career I am passionate (You use the word here but before it was only an interest.) about. A career that fulfills the needs of physicians and the community, as well as my own. One where I can utilize my inherent strengths and acquired skills to diagnose, treat, and educate patients in family practice or women’s health. I enjoy being a nursing assistant and a volunteer, but I am hungry for more. I want to learn the language of medicine and build on the knowledge and experience I have obtained so that I can continue to provide patient care in a compassionate manner. I am confident that my prior experience has prepared me to successfully achieve this goal and hope that I will be granted the opportunity to pursue my dream through acceptance into your program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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